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Greenish Blue - Icaricia saepiolus
Native Species
Global Rank:
G5
State Rank:
S5
Agency Status
USFWS:
USFS:
BLM:
External Links
General Description
[From Ferris and Brown 1981; Scott 1986; Opler and Wright 1999; Glassberg 2001; Pyle 2002] Forewing 1.3-1.6 cm. Uppersurface of male iridescent blue to green-blue, of female brown to orange-brown with blue at wing bases, both sexes with dark bar at end of forewing cell. Undersurface pale gray to brown and sometimes green at wing bases, marginal and submarginal rows of irregular black dashes and chevrons about as intense as postmedian row of spots, with subtle series of orange or rusty patches between marginal and submarginal spot rows (more extensive and intense in females).
Phenology
One flight; late May through July at low elevation, late June to mid-August at high elevation and northward (Scott 1986). Mainly June and July, as early as May in lowlands, as late as early September in highlands (Glassberg 2001). Late April to mid-August in Oregon and Washington (Pyle 2002; Warren 2005), late May to early August in British Columbia (Threatful 1988; Guppy and Shepard 2001).
Diagnostic Characteristics
Best determined by a combination of the uppersurface with dark bar at end of forewing cell, undersurface of hindwing with marginal and submarginal rows of irregular black dashes and chevrons about as intense as postmedian row of spots, with subtle series of orange or rusty patches between marginal and submarginal spot rows (more extensive and intense in females).
Species Range
Montana Range
Range Descriptions
Native
Range Comments
Boreal western North America from central Alaska south along mountains to southern California and southwestern New Mexico; east across southern Canada and the northern Great Lakes area to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and northern Maine (Scott 1986; Opler and Wright 1999; Glassberg 2001); 1830 m to 3917 m elevation in Colorado, but most often between 2134 m and 3048 m (Brown 1957; Scott and Scott 1978; Ferris and Brown 1981), sea level to 2896 m elevation in Oregon (Warren 2005), 456 m to 1219 m elevation in British Columbia (Threatful 1988). In Montana, reported from across the state (Kohler 1980; Stanford and Opler 1993). Locally common to abundant (Glassberg 2001).
Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database
Number of Observations: 31
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Map Help and Descriptions
Relative Density
Recency
(Observations spanning multiple months or years are excluded from time charts)
Migration
Non-migratory; disperse only short distances from larval host plants (Sharp and Parks 1973).
Habitat
Stream edges, bogs, roadsides, montane moist meadows, above treeline in alpine terrain (Scott 1986; Opler and Wright 1999; Glassberg 2001; Pyle 2002). In Glacier National Park, Montana reported from montane mesic meadows (Debinski 1993); in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem especially common in montane wet meadows (Debinski and Pritchard 2002; Debinski et al. 2013).
National Vegetation Classification System Groups Associated with this Species
Forest and Woodland
Deciduous Forest and Woodland
Low Elevation - Xeric Forest and Woodland
Montane - Subalpine Forest and Woodland
Grassland
Lowland - Prairie Grassland
Montane - Subalpine Grassland
Wetland and Riparian
Alkaline - Saline Wetlands
Alpine Riparian and Wetland
Peatland
Riparian and Wetland Forest
Wet Meadow and Marsh
Food Habits
Larval food plants include Astragalus, Hedysarum, Lotus, and several species of Trifolium (Scott 1986, 1992; Guppy and Shepard 2001; James and Nunnallee 2011). Adults feed on flower nectar (including Achillea, Anaphalis, Antennaria, Arabis, Arnica, Astragalus, Barberea, Ceanothus, Cirsium, Erigeron, Eriogonum, Fragaria, Geum, Heterotheca, Jamesia, Limnorchis, Polygonum, Potentilla, Sedum, Senecio, Solidago, Symphyotrichum, Taraxacum, Trifolium, Veronica) and mud (Scott 2014).
Reproductive Characteristics
Females lay eggs singly among host flower sepals, petals, side of seed (Scott 1986, 1992; James and Nunnallee 2011). Number of eggs per ovariole (1/8 of total) about 80 (Ehrlich and Ehrlich 1978). Develops from egg to L2 instar in 14-21 days, L2 or L3 instar (also L1?) enters diapause (overwinters), post-diapause development to L4 instar and pupation takes 35-42 days, adults eclose (emerge from pupa) in about 14 days (Scott 1979, James and Nunnallee 2011). Larvae nocturnal, retreat daily to base of host plant, build no nest, apparently unattended by ants (unlike many other lycaenids), overwinter in vegetation and detritus at base of host plant, pupate in detritus under host plant (Scott 1986; James and Nunnallee 2011). Males patrol throughout the day near host plant, mainly in meadows, moist sites, stream sides, in search of females (Scott 1975b, 1986).
Stewardship Responsibility
References
- Literature Cited AboveLegend:
View Online Publication
Brown, F.M. 1957. Colorado Butterflies. Proceedings; Numbers Three through Seven. Denver Museum of Natural History, Denver, Co.- Debinski, D. 1993. Butterflies of Glacier National Park, Montana. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Natural History, the University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. No. 159: 1-13.
- Debinski, D.M. and J.A. Pritchard. 2002. A field guide to the butterflies of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Lanham, MD: Roberts Rinehart Publishers. 107 p.
- Debinski, D.M., J.C. Caruthers, D. Cook, J. Crowley, and H. Wickham. 2013. Gradient-based habitat affinities predict species vulnerability to drought. Ecology 94(5): 1036-1045.
- Ehrlich, A.H. and P.R. Ehrlich. 1978. Reproductive strategies in the butterflies: I. Mating frequency, plugging, and egg number. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 51(4): 666-697.
- Ferris, C.D. and F.M. Brown (eds). 1981. Butterflies of the Rocky Mountains. Univ. of Oklahoma Press. Norman. 442 pp.
- Glassberg, J. 2001. Butterflies through Binoculars: A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Western North America. Oxford University Press.
- Guppy, C.S. and J.H. Shepard. 2001. Butterflies of British Columbia: including western Alberta, southern Yukon, the Alaska Panhandle, Washington, northern Oregon, northern Idaho, northwestern Montana. UBC Press (Vancouver, BC) and Royal British Columbia Museum (Victoria, BC). 414 pp.
- James, D.G. and D. Nunnallee. 2011. Life histories of Cascadia butterflies. Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University Press. 447 p.
- Kohler, S. 1980. Checklist of Montana Butterflies (Rhopalocera). Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 34(1): 1-19.
- Opler, P.A. and A.B. Wright. 1999. A field guide to western butterflies. Second edition. Peterson Field Guides. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. 540 pp.
- Pyle, R.M. 2002. The butterflies of Cascadia: a field guide to all the species of Washington, Oregon, and surrounding territories. Seattle Audubon Society, Seattle, Washington. 420 pp.
- Scott, J.A. 1975b. Mate-locating behavior of western North American butterflies. Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera 14:1-40.
- Scott, J.A. 1979. Hibernal diapause of North American Papilionoidea and Hesperioidea. Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera 18(3): 171-200.
- Scott, J.A. 1986. The butterflies of North America: a natural history and field guide. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California.
- Scott, J.A. 1992. Hostplant records for butterflies and skippers (mostly from Colorado) 1959-1992, with new life histories and notes on oviposition, immatures, and ecology. Papilio new series #6. 185 p.
- Scott, J.A. 2014. Lepidoptera of North America 13. Flower visitation by Colorado butterflies (40,615 records) with a review of the literature on pollination of Colorado plants and butterfly attraction (Lepidoptera: Hersperioidea and Papilionoidea). Contributions of the C.P. Gillette Museum of Arthopod Diversity. Fort Collins, CO: Colorado State University. 190 p.
- Scott, J.A. and G.R. Scott. 1978. Ecology and distribution of the butterflies of southern central Colorado. Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera 17(2): 73-128.
- Sharp, M.A. and D.R. Parks. 1973. Habitat selection and population structure in Plebejus saepiolus Boisduval (Lycaenidae). Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 27: 17-22.
- Stanford, R.E. and P.A. Opler. 1993. Atlas of western USA butterflies: including adjacent parts of Canada and Mexico. Unpubl. Report. Denver and Fort Collins, Colorado 275 pp.
- Threatful, D.L. 1988. A list of the butterflies and skippers of Mount Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks, British Columbia, Canada (Lepidoptera). Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera 27(3-4): 213-221.
- Warren, A.D. 2005. Lepidoptera of North America 6: Butterflies of Oregon, their taxonomy, distribution, and biology. Contributions of the C. P. Gillette Museum of Arthropod Diversity, Colorado State University. Fort Collins, Colorado. 406 pp.
- Additional ReferencesLegend: View Online Publication
Do you know of a citation we're missing?- Allen, T.J., J.P. Brock, and J. Glassberg. 2005. Caterpillars in the field and garden: a field guide to the butterfly caterpillars of North America. Oxford University Press.
- Brock, J.P. and K. Kaufman. 2003. Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, NY 284 pp.
- Caruthers, J.C., and D. Debinski. 2006. Montane meadow butterfly species distributions in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. University of Wyoming National Park Service Research Center Annual Report, 2006. Vol. 30, Art. 14. 85-96.
- Debinski, D.M., R.E. VanNimwegen, and M.E. Jakubauskas. 2006. Quantifying relationships between bird and butterfly community shifts and environmental change. Ecological Applications 16(1): 380-393.
- Layberry, R.A., P.W. Hall, and J.D. LaFontaine. 1998. The Butterflies of Canada. University of Toronto Press. 280 pp. + color plates.
- Opler, P.A., K. Lotts, and T. Naberhaus, coordinators. 2010. Butterflies and moths of North America. Big Sky Institute, Bozeman, MT. Available at: www.butterfliesandmoths.org (Accessed 15 June 2015).
- Simanonok, M.P., and L.A. Burkle. 2014. Partitioning interaction turnover among alpine pollination networks: Spatial temporal, and environmental patterns. Ecosphere 5(11):149.
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